Caffè macchiato (Italian pronunciation: [kafˈfɛ mmakˈkjaːto]), sometimes called espresso macchiato,[1][2] is an espressocoffee drink with a small amount of milk added, today usually foamed milk. In Italian, macchiato means 'stained' or 'spotted' so the literal translation of caffè macchiato is 'stained coffee', or coffee with a spot of milk.

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The origin of the name 'macchiato' stems from baristas needing to show the serving waiters the difference between an espresso and an espresso with a tiny bit of milk in it; the latter was 'marked'. The idea is reflected in the Portuguese name for the drink: café pingado, meaning coffee with a drop.[3] As the term 'macchiato' predates the common usage of foam in coffee by centuries, the staining 'agent', the additive that lightens the dark espresso, is traditionally the milk, not the foam.

The Macchiato can be prepared either with steamed hot milk or cold milk. If hot, the espresso's name would become macchiato caldo (marked hot); if cold, macchiato freddo (marked cold). The choice between 'caldo' and 'freddo' is usually a matter of personal tastes. Some newer cafes tend to add steamed milk to the espresso in a 1:1 ratio (or more), as well as mixing the milk into the espresso, making it more like a miniature caffè latte or cortado.

The other variant of the term, latte macchiato, conversely means 'milk with a spot of espresso', and indicates milk with just a little espresso in it (much more milk than in a caffè latte). However, in certain preparations (which differ from place to place), latte macchiato has not much difference in milk-to-espresso ratio when compared to the caffè latte; caffè lattes are normally around one-eighth espresso to seven-eighths steamed milk.